The debut feature from filmmaker Shane Carruth -- who wrote, directed, photographed, edited, scored, and stars -- Primer is a psychological sci-fi thriller about a group of four tech entrepreneurs. Toiling away in a garage, the quartet have… MoreThe debut feature from filmmaker Shane Carruth -- who wrote, directed, photographed, edited, scored, and stars -- Primer is a psychological sci-fi thriller about a group of four tech entrepreneurs. Toiling away in a garage, the quartet have successfully created error-checking systems for their clients. But their recent work seems to have created an unexpected and seemingly impossible side-effect. Suddenly, two members of the group realize they are in possession of a device that can double, or perhaps even quadruple, the space-time continuum of anything that enters it. What at first seems like a windfall of astronomical proportions eventually proves to be much more than they bargained for, as the duo attempt to manipulate time to their financial -- and emotional -- benefit. Also starring Casey Gooden, Anand Upadhyaya, and Carrie Crawford, Primer premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the coveted Grand Jury Prize for dramatic film. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

an extremely indepth technical tackling of the concept of time travel. I may have to watch it again just to understand everything. it was not dumbed down for… Morean extremely indepth technical tackling of the concept of time travel. I may have to watch it again just to understand everything. it was not dumbed down for the masses for sure. A very solid hard sci fi movie.

If you know what this film means, you are one of the two, a liar or a genius! My mind got blown and blown again with the film's abstract concepts. Deserves… MoreIf you know what this film means, you are one of the two, a liar or a genius! My mind got blown and blown again with the film's abstract concepts. Deserves more fame but to those who discovery this gem, enjoy the unknown.

Letitia Lew

Boyfriend thinks it's the best low-budget film ever made. I found the acting and dialogue great and believable, but the story never raised the stakes… MoreBoyfriend thinks it's the best low-budget film ever made. I found the acting and dialogue great and believable, but the story never raised the stakes enough for me to care. Still under the limitations, fantastic movie and rewatchable.

Spencer Macklin

Paradoxes are fun

Matthew Slaven

It's hard to fault a time travel movie for being disjointed and confusing. The structure and dialogue reveals that is the intention early on - the… MoreIt's hard to fault a time travel movie for being disjointed and confusing. The structure and dialogue reveals that is the intention early on - the characters hardly speak directly about anything. It seemed that they are co-conspirators in the director's intention to keep us one step behind the whole time, so they talk in unnecessary, cryptic, round-a-bout language. There is pleasure found when we do catch up to each little riddle, which is why the end disappoints. The storytelling rapidly accelerates into a confounding resolution that leaves us hopelessly in the dust.

Lorenzo von Matterhorn

<i>"What happens if it actually works?"</i>
Four friends/fledgling entrepreneurs, knowing that there's something bigger and more… More<i>"What happens if it actually works?"</i>
Four friends/fledgling entrepreneurs, knowing that there's something bigger and more innovative than the different error-checking devices they've built, wrestle over their new invention.
<center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center>
A very intriguing story, taking a fresh and original look at the concept of time travel. The premise is brilliant, albeit facilitated by a load of technobabble. The multiple timelines of the story are very interesting, if a bit difficult to figure out. I actually had to go through a complex timeline to at least wrap my head around the story, and I suspect I'll have to watch the movie once more to put it all together. The production quality is quite low, as expected with a mere $7,000 budget, but it doesn't really detract from the movie. In fact, it makes it more believable - a proper budget would have just meant focus on special effects instead of story. Quite complex, but definitely worth watching.
I would have liked to see the filmmakers go into more depth about the dangers of time travel. The bleeding ears and shaking hands are only two of the effects; it would have been interesting to see what some long-term effects were. In fact, what this movie sorely needed was another 20-30 minutes of screen time. More of an introduction at the beginning - the pacing is really off at the start, and the movie doesn't start going for a while. More filling in of the complex storyline, so it's at least possible to figure it out on the first go. And more of a build-up to the climax, so that it's a more dramatic ending. These are all flaws of a rookie filmmaker, who has written a great screenplay but made a merely good movie.

Alex roy

Well executed thriller, Primer is a film that manages to use a simple concept to create a picture, and it boasts a small cast as well, and an interesting story.… MoreWell executed thriller, Primer is a film that manages to use a simple concept to create a picture, and it boasts a small cast as well, and an interesting story. I enjoyed the film for what it was; and felt that the filmmakers were able to make something quite interesting with the idea that they used to make the film. Primer isn't perfect, and at times it feels like it had plenty of potential to be so much more as well, and I think that if the director would have rewritten the script and changed a few things around, then maybe, the film would have really stood out. As a whole, the film is only really worth seeing once, as it doesn't necessitate multiple viewings. However, for what it is, it's a well made low budget feature that has some good performances, an interesting story and good direction to make things interesting for the viewer. Primer could have been so much more in terms of a thriller, and who knows what this film could have been if the script would have been slightly reworked. As it stands, this is a good movie, one that is unique in the way that it uses its concept, but it's far from the film that it could have been. This is worth seeing if you enjoy low budget indie picture, and for the most part, it's a skillfully crafted affair and it's entertaining, but you do end up wanting more out of the film, especially due to its short run time. Genre fans might enjoy this one, but for anyone else, you'll surely want more out of the film.

Jim Hunter

Two garage scientists happen upon inventing a time machine.
I had to watch this film twice in order to understand it. I almost never watch films twice. My… MoreTwo garage scientists happen upon inventing a time machine.
I had to watch this film twice in order to understand it. I almost never watch films twice. My understanding of the plot and what writer/director/editor/composer/star Shane Carruth was doing got turned into scrabbled eggs about forty-five minutes into the film. A film that assumes the intelligence and perspicacity of its audience, <i>Primer</I> is a complex, cerebral, and thoroughly engrossing film that does more with time travel than almost any big-budget Hollywood video game cum film.
What's special about <i>Primer</i> is that Carruth not only crafts a mind-fuck of a story, but he also gives us a chance to contemplate the characters' moral and ethical stances. These characters are human beings with all the associated desires and contradictions. Further complexity is borne out of the fact that these are also intelligent human beings, and thus we don't spend the film telling them not to walk down the stairs.
Overall, as feature film debuts go, Shane Carruth's <i>Primer</i> is one of the best in recent memory.

Kevin M. Williams

The difficulty with time travel, sci-fi writers often hypothesize, is the dilemma posed should one happen to meet oneself ... an impossibility on one hand or… MoreThe difficulty with time travel, sci-fi writers often hypothesize, is the dilemma posed should one happen to meet oneself ... an impossibility on one hand or world shattering should it ever occur (but its impossible), but also one possibility the cash needy flickers never tire of playing around with. Herein the result is debilitatingly psychological, but boringly presented as the writer, busy dealing with spatial conundrums, forgot to solicit interest in his characters.

Idrees Khan

What it lacks in story, it makes up for by blowing your mind...over and over again.